Every Picture Is a Compromise
Lessons from the Also-rans
Most photography websites show the photographer's very best work. Wonderful. But that's not the full story of a creative life. If we want to learn, we'd better pay attention to the images that aren't "greatest hits" and see what lessons they have to offer. Every picture is a compromise — the sum of its parts, optical, technical, visual, emotional, and even cosmic – well, maybe not cosmic, but sometimes spiritual. Success on all fronts is rare. It's ok to learn from those that are not our best.
This is a series about my also-rans, some of which I've been able to improve at bit (i.e., "best effort"), none of which I would consider my best. With each there are lessons worth sharing, so I will.
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Original digital capture
Images that led to projects
In my Here's a Thought … commentary #2530 Searching For the Thread That Binds, I proposed that a project can grow out of a single image. In fact, sometimes multiple project can grow from the same image. This week will be examples from my Kokoro publication of projects and the thread that binds them into a unified artistic expression.
What I saw that I liked:
The image above was photographed in North Dakota and definitely was inspired by the work of Wright Morris in his book, The Home Place.
The Possible Threads:
As I photographed this subject — in numerous locations and over years — the less I was interested in dinnerware as a subject. I needed some other thread to bind them other than the simple fact that they were all knives, forks, and spoons.
The Project:
The idea came from a mealtime prayer. Every culture, every peoples, every religion includes a meantime prayer. I did a little Internet research and found several which I combined with my photographs in this project, We Accept This Food. Here is the link to the PDF.
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